Seats From Tokyo's Demolished Olympic Stadium Sold As Minimalist Chairs

As you may have heard, Tokyo scrapped plans last week for its pricey £1.29 billion stadium for the 2020 Summer Olympics. It’s a big mess, not least because the city’s existing, historic stadium from the 1964 Olympic Games had been destroyed to make room for this ugly new one. But now? Seats from that 60s venue have been repurposed into minimalist chairs for your own home.

Furniture company Karimoku rescued 700 seats before Tokyo’s National Stadium’s date with a wrecking ball last year. They ended up commissioning three designers to repurpose the blue, hippie-era seats into limited-edition stools, chairs, and benches.

Next is “Pony Chair,” by Hiroko Shiratori, and looks perfect for setting up in the grass for some summer fun, but it’s way cooler looking than a lawn chair. There are 150 and sell for 43,200 yen (about £225).

Finally, the two-seater Kokuritsu bench by Gen Suzuki really recreates that “spectator sport” vibe. Two hundred are available and each will set you back 54,000 yen (about £281).